Single Review - “Young Simba” by Joey Tre’
In effort to not sound a.i. Generated (I’m looking at you TheUrbanInfluencer) I will start this review with a personal story.
Having watched Joey Tre’s rise to not superstardom but musical maturity, his latest single, “Young Simba,” strikes a feeling of pride, knowing where his musical journey began and how his sound has evolved to its premier quality.
“Young Simba” feels triumphant, whether through the string-filled instrumental or Tre’s ever-growing singing ability; the song feels like a championship victory in audio format, with the Chicago emcee as the victor.
“Inside of every underdog, there’s a beast that can grow.” a line inside the first verse, maybe a bar to the casual viewer, but in essence, this line seemingly defines, not only the song, but Tre’s career. One of potential that (let’s face it) has somewhat always felt far too overlooked.
Regarding the song content, Tre’ has always been a quality wordsmith, and it is still the same with “Young Simba.” However, the quality of his verses provides an energy that longtime fans will welcome with open arms. The emcee approaches this track with a tempered pace, opposite his normal blistering stride that was standardized in previous projects.
Alongside the plethora of pop-culture references, the Chicago rapper's new measured style is downright delightful, allowing for clever lines or an aggressive speech pattern change to have more impact on the song. If this is what fans will hear on the forthcoming album, we may be in for the best album of Tre's career to date.
Doubling back to the single’s instrumentation, if nothing else, “Young Simba” should be a hefty example of Tre’s development of appreciating better instrumentals. One’s with nuanced sounds, quality production, and, most importantly, beats that sincerely compliment his artistry.
Overall, “Young Simba” is a lead single that displays his evolution following a four-year layoff. I highly recommend checking out this new release.
“My art official, separating the authentic from the artificial.”
You can listen to the song here.
